Celanese Corporation, a global specialty materials and chemical company, and Secarna Pharmaceuticals GmbH & Co. KG, a leading independent European antisense drug discovery and development company, announced a research collaboration for the development of long-acting implants that deliver antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs).

ASOs are synthetic molecules designed to target specific messenger RNA to prevent the production of proteins implicated in the progression of a wide range of diseases including cardiometabolic, central nervous system, oncological and rare diseases.

Antisense therapy is an innovative, commercially-validated therapeutic approach, but often requires frequent administration or the delivery of large doses to achieve uptake at the intended site of action, ultimately causing a high treatment burden for patients.

“Collaborating with Secarna allows us to develop an innovative implant that has the potential to significantly change the way disease-modifying ASO therapies are administered,” said Cyonna Holmes, global business strategy leader for Ophthalmology and RNA at Celanese. “Our team is excited to use our unique Drug Delivery Platform and expertise to help address the growing need for patient-centric, targeted solutions for ASO therapies alongside Secarna.”

Secarna’s proprietary ASO Drug Development and Discovery Platform enables the company to discover novel therapies for targets that are difficult to reach therapeutically with conventional approaches. With several high value and innovative programs, Secarna has validated its platform in various indications such as cardiometabolic, immune-oncology, fibrotic/inflammatory diseases and the central nervous system.

“We are looking forward to partnering with Celanese to combine our industry-leading ASO platform with their VitalDose® drug delivery technology,” said Konstantin Petropoulos, CBO of Secarna Pharmaceuticals. “Together we see the potential to enhance the way our targeted ASO therapies are delivered which ultimately serves our shared goal: to make highly specific, potent, safe and convenient therapeutic options available for patients who urgently need them.”